Ernest Borgnine
Police Lt. Joseph Petrosino
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Pay or Die is a 1960 American biographical and crime film directed by Richard Wilson and starring Ernest Borgnine, Zohra Lampert, Howard Caine, Alan Austin, and Robert F. Simon. The film is a dramatization of the career of New York City police officer Joseph Petrosino, a pioneer in the fight against organized crime in America.
Pay or Die!: Directed by Richard Wilson. With Ernest Borgnine, Zohra Lampert, Alan Austin, Renata Vanni. Between 1906-1909, NYPD Lieutenant Joe Petrosino heads the 'Italian Squad' and tries to stamp out organized crime from the city, often times amid assassination attempts by the Mafia.
- (680)
- Biography, Crime, Drama
- Richard Wilson
- 1960-07-27
Ernest Borgnine plays Joe as a dedicated officer determined to win over the largely Sicilian immigrant population of his neighborhood, a group that brought its mistrust of the police with them from the old country, where police corruption was rampant.
Set in turn-of-20th-century New York, Pay or Die! concerns Joseph Petrosino (Ernest Borgnine), a Sicilian-born NYPD lieutenant who founded Manhattan’s Police Department Italian squad and met his death while exposing the notorious Black Hand gang.
In addition to Ernest Borgnine’s brilliantly sensitive portrayal as Lieutenant Joseph Petrosino, this engrossing picture is deftly photographed by Lucien Ballard, beautifully scored by David Raksin with a stellar supporting cast including Zohra Lampert and Alan Austin.
Pay or Die is a 1960 American biographical and crime film directed by Richard Wilson and starring Ernest Borgnine, Zohra Lampert, Howard Caine, Alan Austin, and Robert F. Simon.
Literate, suspenseful and emotionally moving, this memorable film remains the definitive depiction about the emergence of the Mafia in America. Starring Ernest Borgnine Zohra Lampert Renata...
